Boylston was looking for "alternatives" after losing more than $158,000 in local aid due to statewide cuts by Governor Michael Dukakis. One possible solution not being proposed was a Proposition 2½ override. Selectman James Stanton said raising taxes would not encourage a "serious look at possible inefficiencies" the town could address.

In West Boylston, a drastic drop in participation meant the Chargers Pop Warner Football program would go on hiatus for at least one year. A revival committee was being formed for the 1990 season.

The Boylston Lassie League All-Stars finally had the game everyone knew they could have, defeating Charlton 13-7. The offense started early, with two runs in the first inning, helped by back-to-back doubles by Dee Walsh and Tara Tufts.

Playground updates: The telethon was on in Boylston, where organizers were looking for support of a new playground at Boylston Elementary School, slated to be built in October. In West Boylston, WORTH (West Boylston Offering Resources for The Handicapped) met with the playground committee to discuss its plans for an extensive upgrade next to Major Edwards.

Cable television had finally been restored to all of the 2,200 subscribers in Boylston and West Boylston who had lost service after the July 10 tornado. Greater Media Cable had spent more than $25,000 after losing around 30,000 feet of drop line and heavy cable in the storm.

20 years ago

Aug. 11, 1994

Could Boylston have a new municipal complex, recreation facility and industrial park near Paul X. Tivnan Drive? Selectmen presented the Worcester County Commissioners a plan for the town to take ownership of the former county hospital land for just that purpose. Said one county commissioner: "it was a very reasonable request."

While the state had set a limit of $5,000 (for high school ) on the amount of money a host district could demand from a home district for a school choice student, many area districts, including West Boylston and Berlin-Boylston, reported raising hundreds of thousands of dollars that was being used to support school spending. Superintendents pointed out that the amount recouped for elementary-aged students was less, between $2,000 and $4,000, for the 2-year-old program.

What did it cost to get by in 1994? According to advertisements in The Banner, heating oil was 73 cents per gallon; McDonald's was offering a new, extra-value menu, which featured four meals at $2.99 each, and the daily double, which included two pieces of meat, cheese, onions, lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise, cost 99 cents.

Area lawmakers united in Boston to declare that sewers in West Boylston and Holden, under discussion at the time, were the "historical, moral, ethical and practical responsibility" of the Metropolitan District Commission and the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority. Legislators said they would not vote for any proposal that cost the taxpayers of Holden or West Boylston money to protect the Boston-area's water supply.

In Boylston, ambulance rates were set to double, from $75 to $150 to account for an increase in costs that was creating a burden on the Fire Department budget. Most taxpayers could rest easy, however. Most of the ambulance calls, almost two-thirds, came from automobile accidents, which meant charges were covered by automobile insurance.

15 Years ago

Aug. 12, 1999

In need of a town hall since voters had rejected proposed repairs to the Mixter Building, the West Boylston selectmen met in a closed door session to discuss buying an existing building at 216 West Boylston St., which had recently gone on the market.

The West Boylston Board of Selectmen named Charles Witkus as animal inspector.

Introducing the new Ford Crown Victoria Interceptor: The $27,000 Boylston police cruiser was identical to other cruisers in the area, with one notable exception, its light bar sat low upon the roof, meaning cars being followed may not suspect the police were behind them.

After five years on the job, Town Clerk Lucinda Adams tendered her resignation in Boylston, saying she had greater respect for the amount of work the job entailed in the growing town. Adams, who took over for longtime Clerk Helen Duffy, encouraged the town to computerize town hall and to purchase a voting machine.

With 90 students in grade 8, the Berlin/Boylston School Committee decided it was time to reduce the number of school choice students at Tahanto. The district was facing increased population in its home communities, and still wished to keep class sizes small.

Get your papers in … your archival papers, that is. The Boylston Historical Society was planning a millennial time capsule to be sealed on Dec. 10. Residents were invited to share their poems, essays, diaries or thoughts on life in the 20th century. The capsule was due to be re-opened in 50 years.

10 years ago

Aug. 12, 2004

In addition to the newly-created bus pass, students returning to Major Edwards Elementary School this fall could expect to be safer. New security doors had recently been installed and a new dismissal policy for parents picking up children was announced.

The legacy of the former Parker's Country Store would live on at Major Edwards. Cabinets from the store had been scooped up by teachers Wendy Milton and Sharon Keller for use as classroom book shelves.

New bus fees in West Boylston, which cost $150 per student, complicated scheduling in West Boylston. So many parents had signed up close to the deadline, schedules were not ready yet.

The group planning to renovate Pride Park Playground in West Boylston announced a swim-a-thon at the town pool as the group's first fundraiser.

Five years ago

Aug. 6, 2009

The wait was over, and the answer was "new." The Massachusetts School Building Authority approved a new — not renovated — Tahanto Middle/High School, with an addition of the sixth grade.

Longtime West Boylston Middle/High School Principal Francine Bullock announced a November retirement. Bullock had started with the district in 1987 as a guidance counselor and had also served as the district's administrator for supervision and discipline before being named principal in 1990.

As West Boylston selectmen prepared to ask voters to purchase an industrial building at 150 Hartwell St. for a town hall, a senior center and more, they wanted to assure residents that the perception the town did not upkeep its buildings was false, and that discussions about what to do with the Mixter property would soon be a priority.